Satellite Operations Updates - Total Operational Weather Readiness - Satellites (TOWR-S)
GOES-W Scan Strategy Testing
December 9, 2019
3 minute read
On both Tuesday, December 10 from 1800z to 2000z and Wednesday, December 11 from 1800z to 2000z, NESDIS will conduct a scanning test on GOES-W (GOES-17) to measure different Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) scan strategies that mitigate the Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) cooling anomaly.
What happens during the test?
During the scanning test, Full Disk imagery will be produced every fifteen minutes for a total of eight images. The timestamps of these images will be 1805z, 1820z, 1835z, 1850z, 1905z, 1920z, 1935z, and 1950z. In addition to the Full Disk imagery, there will also be Alaska sector and Hawaii sector imagery, timestamped the same as the Full Disk imagery (since they are extracted from the Full Disk scan).
During this test, there will be no West CONUS (i.e. PACUS) imagery produced by GOES-W. Forecasters using AWIPS from a site receiving data via the SBN need to pull up the Full Disk imagery from the Satellite menu to see imagery during this two-hour period. Also, note that Full Disk imagery distributed over the SBN has always been degraded to 6km resolution due to bandwidth restrictions, and is not the full resolution that CONUS forecasters are accustomed to seeing while using the West CONUS domain.
How does this impact the Mesoscale sector?
There will be only one Mesoscale sector, MESO1,during this time period. It will produce one full resolution image every minute, as usual. That sector will not be requestable to move through the Mesoscale Request Process during the test, and will remain in its usual default position centered over the western United States. The second Mesoscale sector, MESO2, will not be produced during this test.
Regarding the GOES-W derived products that are available via AWIPS Data Delivery, products will be produced for both the Full Disk and single Mesoscale sector; however, they may be of degraded quality during the test and for up to 30 minutes after the test is complete. This is a total time of 2.5 hours that they will be affected, from 1800z to 2030z, during each day of the test.
What about the GLM sensor?
The GLM sensor on GOES-W will operate as normal and is not affected by this test. Space weather sensors will also be unaffected.
At the conclusion of this test each day at 2000z, GOES-W will return to its usual operating mode of ten minute Full Disk imagery, five minute West CONUS imagery, and two one minute Mesoscale sectors.
What happens if there is a Critical Weather Day?
This test will be postponed in the event of Critical Weather Day and slip one business day at a time until it does not conflict with Critical Weather Day. In the case this occurs, the TOWR-S Team will keep you updated on the new schedule.
Questions?
If you have any questions about what to expect during this test, the fastest way to contact us is through NWS Chat by joining the “towr-s” group.
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- 2020 Satellite Operation Communications
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Bands 11 & 15 [October 15, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Band 9 [October 13, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Bands 8, 10, 12 & 16 [October 9, 2020]
- GOES-17 ABI Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Fall Season Preview [October 7, 2020]
- GOES-17 Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Summer Season Concludes [September 1, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES ABI Bands 13 & 14 [August 26, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES ABI Band 15 [August 14, 2020]
- GOES-17 Mode 3 Cooling Timeline Operations [August 10, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES ABI Band 11 [August 10, 2020]
- GOES-17 Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts Update [August 4, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Band 8 [July 30, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Band 10 [July 29, 2020]
- Loop Heat Pipe Anomaly Impacts on GOES-17 ABI Bands 12 & 16 [July 24, 2020]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [July 22, 2020]
- GOES-17 Mode 3 Cooling Timeline Operations [April 3, 2020]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [April 3, 2020]
- Upcoming Deactivation of GOES-15 Operations and Products [February 27, 2020]
- GOES-W Scan Strategy Testing [February 18, 2020]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [February 5, 2020]
- 2019 Satellite Operation Communications
- GOES-W Scan Strategy Testing [December 9, 2019]
- Mode 6: GOES-E/W ABI Operational Flex Mode Transition to 10 Minute Cycle [March 29, 2019]
- GOES-W Yaw Flip Data Outage [March 27, 2019]
- GOES-R Satellite Series: Upcoming ABI Mode 6 Testing [February 19, 2019]
- GOES-R Satellite Series Mode 6 Testing and GOES-17 Imagery Anomalies [February 7, 2019]
- GOES-17 ABI Mode 6 Testing [January 25, 2019]
- GOES-17 Cooling System Impacts Update [January 17, 2019]
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